November 11th

Harry smiled softly as he flopped onto the couch, letting his head rest on Louis' lap. He stretched his legs so they took up the rest of the incredibly spacious couch.

He took a look around the grand living room and smiled, thankful he and Louis had finally moved into their bigger apartment. Thanks to Simon, they were able to move in on time without any type of complications. Which was a huge relief off of everyone's shoulders.

Harry smiled again as he felt Louis' fingers casually brushing over his scalp and through his thick curls.

"Long day, eh?" Louis breathed, letting his thumb rub gently over Harry's forehead when he smiled down at him.

Harry nodded, "Yeah. Those rehearsals have been getting kinda brutal." He paused and made eye contact with Louis, "But I mean, it could be worse—I could be doing it alone."

Louis agreed, "Yeah, I'm just glad we have each other," He kissed Harry's forehead and Harry closed his eyes. Harry knew this act was very common between the two, but for the past few weeks, he couldn't help but feel like…there was something more with them.

And at first, Harry couldn't put his finger on it.

The adoring looks they gave each other, the way they always gravitated towards each other in a large crowd of people, the way their bodies always shifted so they matched each other's, the way they always had to find a reason to touch each other…

Then it hit him.

Louis was more than just a friend to him. He always had been.

So for moments like these, where Louis touched him so intimately, Harry treasured them.

Because Harry, among many other things, was scared out of his damn mind.

He had never been so drawn to someone in his entire life. Especially to a boy.

Sure, he had a few…flings at parties, but it was never anything like this before. He didn't know why it was happening to him now, or what he should do. All he did know was that it was happening.

However, he was terrified of addressing it.

Because addressing it meant that there was a good chance that in the end, he would get hurt. And the last thing he wanted was to have his heart broken.

So for now, he would keep silent.

Though, it was hard to when Louis kept kissing his forehead and his cheeks and playing with his hair…

Ugh, so irritating.

"Harry, lift your head?"

Harry looks up with an automatic hurt expression. He couldn't help it, "Why?"

Louis smiled and ruffled the boy's hair, sitting up straight and moving his legs so Harry would get up,

"I'm going to meet Eleanor for dinner." Louis smiled faintly and pocketed his phone, "I'm a bit late. But luckily, the restaurant is only down the road, so it'll be a quick walk."

He gently lifted Harry off of his lap and Harry rolled his eyes when Louis wouldn't notice.

Eleanor.

Harry didn't have any reason to particularly dislike Eleanor—like he's mentioned before to the boys, she is the female version of Louis.

Harry had to smile; they were impeccably adorable. He could tell she made him happy. He loved seeing Louis smile. Then he frowned; He just wished it wasn't Eleanor Louis was taking out.

He groaned inwardly; he hated these conflicting feelings.

He hated liking Eleanor, because in reality, he only wanted Louis for himself—he didn't like to share.

But at the same time, he only wanted Louis to be happy, and if being with Eleanor made him happy, then so be it.

He sighed again. But then there were times that Harry wanted to fight for Louis—where he wanted to tell him everything he had been feeling. But then there was always that voice in the back of his head that stopped him—that told him he was only going to get hurt.

But right now, as Louis was picking up his jacket off of the counter, Harry had the sudden urge to kick down his walls and pull out his guns. If there was one thing Harry disliked most about Louis dating Eleanor, it was the feeling he got when Louis chose Eleanor over him.

It felt like a bullet was going through his veins every time.

"Alright, Harry?"

Harry looked up from his hands and gave his friend a quizzical look, "Yeah I'm—actually, no, I'm not."

Louis shot him a concerned look and put his jacket over a lounge chair, "What's the matter?"

Harry sighed. Should I do this? Is now really the time? He looked back into Louis' beautiful eyes and felt a hard thumping in his chest.

Yes, yes I should.

"Lou, have…have you ever been in love?"

Louis' brows shot up in surprise. To be honest, he didn't know how to answer that question, because, well…he felt his answer might scare the younger singer.

Because truth be told, Louis has loved people before. There was Hannah, the girl he thought he was going to be with forever. There was Eleanor, a person he did love and cared deeply for.

But then there was Harry.

Louis knew there was a distinction between loving someone and being in love—however, he didn't understand the distinction between the two until he met Harry.

Louis sighed. He had known for a while he was in love with Harry Styles—he also knew revealing that information would be a huge risk.

He always came so close to telling him, though. There were time where they would just stare at each other, and it was almost like there was an understanding between them. It was like they were saying, "I love you," to each other with just the lock of their eyes.

But Louis thought he was the only one who saw that.

Louis sighed and stared back at an expectant Harry. He decided to avoid the question and answer with another one,

"Why do you ask?"

Harry groaned inwardly. He would answer his question with a question. Typical Louis!

"Well," Harry stuttered, standing up and making his way over to Louis, "I—I—" He choked on his words. All of what he was going to say sounded better in his head than it did out loud! "Louis," He began again…but he stopped. He was already at this point, he might as well just spit everything out.

Fuck all of the rules. Fuck the voice in the back of his head. He may never get this chance again. He needed to take advantage of this moment, because it was now or never.

"Louis," He started again, smiling out of sheer nervousness, "I don't want you to go."

Louis smiled and kissed Harry's cheek, "I'm not going anywhere far, love. I'll be back soon—"

"No!" Harry protested, grabbing for Louis' arm as he reached back for his coat.

"Harry, what is the matter with you?" He asked as he snatched his arm from Harry's grasp. Louis didn't know what was going on with Harry. He was so confused. Why was he suddenly asking him to stay? Did he…?

Harry frowned, "Nothing. I just—I hate when you leave me. Why do you always have to leave me…to be with her?"

Louis' heart stopped cold for a millisecond of time. Was Harry…jealous of the time he got to spend with Eleanor?

See, but Louis wasn't sure what this meant. Did this mean Harry missed having someone around the house because he got lonely?

Or…did Harry miss him, specifically?

"Harry," Louis began slowly, "She's…she's my girlfriend," He almost cringed at the words, wishing they weren't true, "I have to spend time with her. You understand, don't you? I mean, you always have your string of girls coming in and out of here, right?" Louis added, trying to lighten the mood.

By the look on Harry's face, it did everything but that.

"What are you trying to say? Louis, those girls don't mean anything to me! The only person who means anything to me is—"

Harry stopped himself before he got any further. He should have listened to the voice in the back of his head—he wasn't going to win this one. He wasn't going to win Louis.

Harry took a step back and inhaled a sharp breath. Louis gave him a questioning look in response, still trying to understand what exactly was going on.

"Harry, what were you going to say?" Louis asked, urging him on. Louis wished Harry would give him a straight answer, because if he did, he would love to tell him that he would leave Eleanor in a heartbeat.

"Nothing, Louis. Just…forget about it. Go on and go out with Eleanor. You…you are happy. And really, that's all I want from you." Harry whimpered to himself, feeling his chest tighten and his throat begin to close. He swallowed the lump in his throat and shook his head. He refused to cry in front of Louis. He wished none of this was happening.

He needed to get out of the flat.

He searched frantically around until he made a beeline for the key hook. As he walked past Louis he spoke, "You're walking to meet Eleanor right? You won't mind if I take the car, do you?"

"What?" Louis asked, completely baffled.

Harry groaned, "Your car, Louis. I want. To drive. Your car." He was getting irritated very quickly, and it was all out of embarrassment. He should have known better than to try to get things going with Louis. What was he thinking? He was crazy and stupid to think for a second Louis would ever feel what he was feeling.

Completely idiotic.

Louis shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. No. He wasn't going to let Harry leave. If Harry wasn't going to fight for this, then fuck it all, he would!

"Harry, please, don't leave. Talk to me. Just…tell me what you are thinking—"

"Trust me, it's nothing worth discussing." Harry gave his friend a sad look and returned back to the key hook and grabbed Louis' car keys off of the hook.

"Harry," Louis said cautiously, seeing Harry's actions, "Don't leave. You shouldn't drive; you don't have your license." He added sternly.

"Didn't stop you from letting me drive before, did it?" Harry interjected giving Louis a condescending look.

"Stop it!" Louis exclaimed, trying to get through to the boy, "Just come back, and talk to me. Don't leave me." Louis felt like he was pathetic for begging, but he didn't care. Harry was like a brick wall when he was stubborn, and it was hard to get through to him.

Harry turned on his heel slowly and shot Louis a look, "Why not? You leave me all of the time. With Eleanor." He added with a slight sneer.

Before Louis had a chance to respond, Harry fled from the flat, leaving a dumbfounded Louis in the darkness of the living room.

It was moments later that a neighbor would see Louis frantically searching the streets for Harry, and eventually coming to terms with the fact that Harry wouldn't be back for a while.

Little did Louis know that watching Harry leave would be the last time he would ever see the curly haired boy alive again.

February 12th

Reporter: Anna Bailey

HARRY STYLES DIES IN TRAGIC CAR ACCIDENT

It is a tragic thing, when the world loses a great persona of talent. Unfortunately, it is with a heavy heart that I report the death of Harry Styles, one of the beloved members of the popular boy band One Direction.

Last night, at about 10:30 P.M., the singer, driving a car illegally (Styles was only 17, and did not possess a license), swerved too fast on a one way lane, the car he was driving slamming right into the trunk of a tree. The car wrapped around it, leaving the boy dying directly on impact.

From the medical reports, his head collided immediately with the steering wheel, which is the main cause of the death. There was severe bleeding in his brain as well as massive brain damage from the crash.

Along with the brain damage, unfortunately, the driver's car door was pushed so far in because of the impact, the door punctured Harry's abdomen, which added to his injuries.

The 17 year old is survived by his mother, Anne, who when asked for an interview, shook her head and walked solemnly away from the crime scene. He is survived by his step-father, sister, the remaining four members of One Direction, and the millions of fans that love and supported him throughout his short lived career.

Our publications give our sincere condolences to Harry's friends and family.

~A. Bailey

Zayn Malik groaned as he followed the gurney carrying Louis' concussed body into the Emergency Room doors.

He looked around the grand room, taking in the bare white walls and the amount of chaos that was taking place in the room.

Zayn turned to Niall, who noticed his discomfort and held out his hand. Zayn graciously took it and felt his body ease a bit when their skin touched.

If there was one thing Zayn incredibly despised, it was hospitals.

Because for him, being at a hospital never ended well.

Zayn already lost Harry, one of his best friends in the entire world, and he was not prepared to another one.

Niall squeezed his hand again—a sign that he should follow him—and Zayn did so with cautious steps, his heart beating a mile a minute. He knew Louis only had a concussion, but the thought of him being in a hospital, where Harry was officially pronounced dead, really did scare him.

Niall dragged him into a small room, and the blonde smiled gratefully up at the dark haired boy.

"Zayn, Louis is awake!"

Zayn dropped Niall's hand immediately and strode up to the oldest band member. Louis looked up and gave him a small smile, but before he had a chance to speak, he felt Zayn's strong arms wrap around him. Zayn dug his face into the crook of his neck, the sobs escaping from his throat fast.

"L—Louis, I—I—I'm so glad you're okay—"

Louis, still taken aback by his reaction, lightly patted his back, "I'm okay, Zayn. Really, I'm fine. Just a mild concussion, that's all."

Zayn shook his head and continued to sob, gripping Louis and bringing him closer to him.

"I was afraid you would die too, just like Harry." Zayn continued to sob, and Louis glanced up at Niall, whose eyes were starting to become wet with his own light tears. Liam, who had watched the whole ordeal form a sitting chair next to Louis' bed, stood up and put a hard hand on Zayn's shoulder.

Zayn released Louis and shot an understanding look to Liam. Liam, ever the father figure, nodded his head towards Louis and smiled softly, "Go on, Zayn." He muttered, before guiding Niall by his shoulder, "Zayn needs a minute, Niall."

Niall understood and followed Liam out of the room, leaving just Zayn and Louis in the room. Louis looked from the door to Zayn and sighed.

He remembered the last fight they had, and how awful it had been. Though they both had gotten over it very quickly, it was one of those things where it wasn't forgotten. And with their busy schedules, they didn't really get a chance to talk about it, other than a quick but heartfelt 'I'm sorry' to each other when they were together the next day.

Zayn grabbed Louis' hand and rubbed his thumb over his knuckles, which caused Louis to shudder slightly—that was something Harry always did when he was about to apologize.

"Louis, I'm…I'm so sorry for that day. When I freaked out on you," He paused to rub tears from his eyes, and then continued, "I think I was so mad at you, because I was mad at myself, too." He gave Louis a grateful smile, "Because I still haven't gotten over what happened either. I think about it all the time. I think about him and how happy we all were. I just feel…bad that I don't express my feelings like you do. So openly."

Louis sighed heavily. He wasn't mad at Zayn anymore, but the fact that he was coming to him like this…well he really didn't know how to take it. He was getting nervous, because he was afraid of where this conversation was going to go. He knew Zayn would bring up Harry, and to be honest, he wasn't really up for yet another discussion on his feelings towards him.

Especially not after the dream he had.

Zayn only confirmed Louis' suspicions when he began to talk again, "I know you loved Harry, Lou. More than any of us did. I know it was a different kind of love—"

"Does everyone know, Zayn? Do they all know that I…I love him?" Louis asked tiredly, "Tell me."

Zayn nodded simply, "Yes. It was quite obvious, Lou." Louis rolled his eyes and put his face in his hands, groaning.

Zayn laughed and rubbed Louis' back softly, "I'm surprised it's taken you this long to realize we all know. When Harry was alive…it was very hard to ignore you two." He looked at Louis and smiled, rubbing the top of his head lovingly, "And Louis, we don't care! I mean…of course we care, but it's not negative. We, the boys and I, actually love that you two loved each other the way you did. We are so pleased you found someone who made you so happy, Louis. Someone who…completed you the way Harry did. Honestly, it was like he was the missing piece to the puzzle that is Louis Tomlinson." At this Louis chuckled and Zayn continued,

"I think what it was for everyone," Zayn began, "Was the fact that you two sort of…moved together. Does that make sense? Like, when one of you moved, or shifted position, the other would move so that you two matched." He smiled and shook his head, "It was almost like gravity was pulling you two together."

Louis nodded and ran a hand through his hair. Well, he certainly wasn't expecting that. He also wasn't expecting the sudden feeling of regret that washed over him.

He regretted ever letting Harry leave the flat that night. He regretted letting Harry drive his car that one time. He regretted not being more careful.

But most of all, he regretted not telling Harry about how he felt while he was alive. Because now he would never get the chance to do that. He would never get the chance to be able to love Harry without having to hide it. He would never get the chance to express his feelings openly. Which is something he longed to do.

Zayn shook Louis' shoulder, trying to get the concussed boy out of his train of thought,

"Louis?"

Louis glanced up at Zayn with pleading eyes, and Zayn took this as a sign to leave,

"Right. Okay. You want to be alone then, right?"

"It's nothing against you, Zayn. I just…I'm having a moment."

Zayn chuckled and pressed his lips to Louis' cheek. He pecked it lightly and pulled away, "Alright, well. The boys and I will head off then. We will be back tomorrow, yeah?"

Louis nodded gratefully, "Yeah, that sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay," Zayn began to walk out, but when he reached the door, he turned around to face Louis, "I love you, Louis."

Louis grinned, "I love you too."

Zayn grinned back and left the room quickly, and Louis let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding in.

After a few moments of sitting and reflecting, one of Louis' nurses came in,

"Hello, Mr. Tomlinson, I just came to remind you that you need to do a bit of walking and breathing, to make sure your brain gets oxygen," She grinned, "Plus, I'm sure a busy boy like you could make do with a bit of a stretch."

Louis sighed gratefully, "Yes, that would be lovely."

The nurse, a pretty, petite woman with short blonde hair, helped Louis out of the bed and onto his feet. Louis studied the woman in front of him—she kept giving him a look, a look he couldn't describe.

Weird.

She led him out of the hospital room, and with one arm wrapped around his waist, she walked with him down the long white-walled hallway.

"So, you had a lot of visitors today." She said bluntly.

"That I did," Louis said with a laugh.

"Those boys must really care about you," The blonde chuckled a bit to herself, "A lot!"

"They really do, I love them all to death. They are like my brothers—no, they are my brothers."

The blonde nodded and looked around nervously, which Louis thought was odd. He looked around as well, trying to figure out what she was trying to catch her eye on.

"Are you alright?" He asked cautiously.

She snapped her head towards him, with her eyes wide and worried. She tried to compose herself, but Louis was too sharp—he knew something was up, "Yes, yes I am fine. I think we need to turn a corner here—"

Louis looked down to where her perfectly manicured finger was pointing, and he shook his head, reading the label above the double doors that led to another hallway,

"Why would we go down to the surgical center?" Louis asked curiously as the small woman continued to turn him down the hallway. Louis skidded on his heels and turned around, only to see the woman looking away from a single door that was at the end of the corridor Louis' room was in.

"What are you looking at?" Louis asked, heading over to the door.

"Nothing!" The woman cried, grabbing his arm and directing him toward the other wing. Louis tried to look back towards the door, but the woman diverted his attention again by pulling him closer to her.

And then, almost as quickly as she had pulled his arm, she released him, for her pager went off loudly.

"Damn!" She cussed loudly, looking at the pager and groaning, letting her head fall back in defeat.

She looked back to Louis, who simply looked at her innocently, "I'm sorry, Mr. Tomlinson, I have to go to a Code Blue…Let me take you back—"

"No!" Louis interjected, "I'm fine, really. You go. I can do it on my own. I have a mild concussion, not an aneurism." He added a smirk that gained an eye roll from the nurse.

"Fine, just... go straight there, alright? Don't go…heading to places where you are not supposed to. Do you hear?"

Louis gave her his charming smile and nodded, "Of course."

The nurse nodded and waved him away, suddenly not concerned for him anymore, and she sprinted down a hallway that was labeled "Urgent Care." Louis shrugged and looked back to the door she was trying so hard for him to avoid.

He looked around and saw his hall was completely deserted save for a janitor and a secretary who was close to falling asleep on the charts she was reviewing.

Louis shrugged and made his way over to the door, still wondering what the hell could be in there that the nurse would not want to be seen.

He made his way towards the door, but stopped immediately when he saw the name of the patient on the door.

No…

No…

No.

It couldn't be.

Louis' heart stopped. His brain suddenly felt like jelly. If his stomach could drop, it would fall to the floor and never come back up. He felt his knees give out and his senses were starting to fail. But just before he felt his eyes roll to the back of his head and he hit the floor, he was able to catch another glimpse of the name that was printed on the door.

Harry Styles.